There are many reasons as to why a project can fail to meet the customer’s needs, after reading an article on the pmi.org website there are several factors that are important to understand. The main subject I want to address is “what” are the common causes of project failures. Mainly, projects fail due to lack of efforts or attention, or simply steps being not accurately executed. Reasons that projects can fail I would say include: focusing too heavily on the technical detail and not enough on the business side. Not having clear-cut boundaries for accountability for each department and what they are expected to contribute to effectively contribute to the project. Checkpoints to verify we are staying on the correct timeline, as well as the PM ensuring that there is a solid and consistent methodology for planning and executing the project. I have to say, working for the Department of Defense there is an expected standard of training and if you fall short what I really enjoy about my organization is that there is always an option to “train up”, there is no reason to fail if you are provided with the correct tools for success. The article addressed taking on more than you can handle, or “managing unambiguous checkpoints” while that is certainly a take that the PM has to constantly worry about, staying on top of large tasks and ensuring that the checkpoints are measured and placed at the correct timeline will ensure that team members don’t feel bombarded or as if they lack creative space. Also, one of the “most” effective means to produce deliverables that the customer wants is to constantly engage them and make sure that the team is creating a product that the customer is satisfied with. Also, and most importantly, as I stated a little earlier, for a team to be successful they have to have the tools to succeed. The PM’s primary job is to provide the team with the tools to be successful, if they are not and the project fails, a serious evaluation of what “tools” were provided to the team to create a successful product. Thanks.
https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/seven-causes-project-failure-initiate-recovery-7195
From the point of initiating an idea to be a project to the point we get this project to the manufacturing stage, project passes by many stages, millstones and research that can lead to failure. Poor choice of the project team, planning, communication gaps and/or poor research can result in a poor project or failure to meet the customer's needs. In your opinion, what are the reasons that sets a project for failure?
This is a great and important question. From my own experience, one of the biggest things that lead to project failure and or the project not being efficient is lack of communication. Lack of communication on all levels is the root cause of many other things that cause project failure; it's the tiny snowflake that initiates an avalanche. Lack of communication is the root cause for failure to identify project scope properly. Your entire team is on different pages about the project's purpose and potential, which can lead to other discrepancies. Another example of communication deficits can simply be failure to take adequate project notes, so there is a disconnect between past projects and future projects. Honestly, the list can go on and on, but lack of communication is the root of failure in any team dynamic from my personal experience.
From the point of initiating an idea to be a project to the point we get this project to the manufacturing stage, project passes by many stages, millstones and research that can lead to failure. Poor choice of the project team, planning, communication gaps and/or poor research can result in a poor project or failure to meet the customer's needs. In your opinion, what are the reasons that sets a project for failure?
There can be a quite a few reasons that a project can fail but the three most common ones to look out for in my opinion is lack of communication, lack of planning and lack of accurate leadership. Lack of communication can become a hindrance to any project because any plans that are made will never be carried out in an efficient way or at all. Poor communication skills can often cause conflict with in a group and can lead to project failure. Lack of planning can easily make a project fail because it's nearly impossible to have a successful product without some level of planning. Finally, a lack of accurate leadership can be a huge detriment to a group because when a project team has a good leader with good planning and communication skills the success of any projects will be evident because they way a leader uses these skills is reflected by the rest of the team.
There are many reasons that a project can fail. Some are preventable, while others can not be controlled. Many projects fail due to unaccounted technical issues that go wrong because they only focused on the project's business side. At the center of projects that fail is poor planning. Essential details are omitted, inadequate assessment of the project's performance, like if personnel need to be changed, or any issues that may come. Project's can also fail because of a lack of consistency in managing unambiguous checkpoints and methodology for planning and executing projects.
Discenza, R. & Forman, J. B. (2007). Seven causes of project failure: how to recognize them and how to initiate project recovery. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2007—North America, Atlanta, GA. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
There are multiple factors that can cause a project to fail, many of which have been discussed in this topic already. Personally, I believe the two biggest factors that can cause a project to fail is inadequate planning and poor communication. Great planning, which should be done within the planning phase, is what sets up a project for success. Specifically, outlining the details and properly scheduling a project allows there to be a strong foundation, from which the project can be developed further. Without good planning, a project may not be able to be completed in a desired timeline or within an allotted budget, both of which could cause the project to be terminated. More than this, even if a project had undergone thorough planning, poor communication can still cause a project to fail. Every project will have its own set of issues that arise. However, it is through strong communication that these dilemmas can be dealt with. Although a project manager would be responsible for ensuring adequate planning and good communication, the whole team must be committed to avoiding these failure modes to reduce the risk of project failure. Overall, there are a variety of reasons for why a project could fail, but I personally believe that two of the biggest factors would be inadequate planning and poor communication.
The failure of a project can be found in either the planning or execution phases. Poor planning of a project can be found in employment choices for the team, a timeline that hasn't made room for mistakes or delays in production, or a lack of communication between task groups, resulting in a lack of consistency or vision. The execution failures can be the result of a lack of efficient planning. Poor communication between task groups muddles the active vision for the project and hinders the timeline if these tasks depend on each other for completion. Ultimately, the project's failure is found in poor management from the PM or planning from both the PM and possibly the sponsors. I believe a solution to avoid potential project failures would be exercising flexibility in the project schedule, creating a solid communication channel among task groups and directly to the PM, and creating several backup plans if the initial task fails or is delayed.
@delany makes a great argument. Planning and preparations are notably the first part of the PDCA cycle. Being prepared is vital if you have hopes of success for your project. Lack of communication could also lead to failure. If you aren't communicating well with your group or team, timelines could be missed.
There could be many reasons a project fails. The major reason why a project fails is due to a project not meeting the customers needs. It can pass the verification, verification, and design of the product, but if the product was created to meet a customer requirement and it does not, that can set a project for failure. When a product is designed for a specific customer, and it does not meet the criteria, the product is deemed useless.
I think there are many reasons projects fail. Many of which are going to stem from poor planning and the teams inability to adapt. If you get off to a good start and things begin to become rocky, it is time to take a look at back up plans, just in case things don't work out for the best. To neglect drafting a back up plan or putting some team members on one would be detrimental to your project. Also, taking for granted things that are listed on your critical path, not planning enough time for them. Or budgeting incorrectly and running out of money too soon.
For me, I think most of the failure causes are happened in the planning stage as it has been mentioned earlier, because the failure purposes in the planning stage that affect the rest of stages, so that are the main causes to avoid. As it mentioned above, Communication is a process by which information is exchanged between individuals or groups through a common method such as email or talking in meeting, and communication gap especially in the planning phase may lead to many failures. Also, the ambiguous scope of the project is one of the critical reason that distracts the whole project team.
In my opinion, I feel it's communication gap that causes projects to fail. The amount of research and planning that a team can do is only limited to the amount of time given for the project. Communication, however, is what keeps the project moving and progress continuous.
Here are a few reasons why projects fail, they are Poorly defined project scope, Inadequate risk management, Failure to identify key assumptions, Project managers who lack experience and training. No use of formal methods and strategies, and Lack of effective communication at all levels. The main reason a project fails is because the project team, executive management, project managers, and team members, need access to the right level of information at the right time. Executives often complain that they do not have visibility into all current enterprise projects.
@asg49njit-edu Hello! In my opinion your statement is correct and valid! There alot of reasons why a project fails, lack of communication, lack of resources, poor decision making, a low experimental study budget, and the list continues!
From the point of initiating an idea to be a project to the point we get this project to the manufacturing stage, project passes by many stages, millstones and research that can lead to failure. Poor choice of the project team, planning, communication gaps and/or poor research can result in a poor project or failure to meet the customer's needs. In your opinion, what are the reasons that sets a project for failure?
I think one of the main reasons for project failure is the lack of streamlined communication between the project team. Lack of communication could possibly lead to discrepancies in focus on the project scope, project delays, internal frustrations between the team and the project manager, and overall a less productive and successful project. I think one way to combat lack of communication relies on a portion of the project life cycle where the team is picked and that mostly relies on the project manager. The project manager has to be able to determine who is the best fit for certain things and who will work well with certain people. Im not saying everyone has to have the same talents or skill set but they should have a similar mindset and willingness to be flexible.
Communication is a key part of being able to interact with multiple people in a group. Project Management involves being able to work within a team. Many projects can have different teams working towards the same goals. Without proper communication, pieces of the project can be left out. This could hinder the completion and progress of the project. Proper communication can create a successful completion of a project for a client to be satisfied.
